


Acceptance is Imminent

by PoisonedMischief



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, One Shot, Post-Canon, Post-Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-10-17 01:30:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10583595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonedMischief/pseuds/PoisonedMischief
Summary: Hannibal loved Will, and Will was still having a hard time accepting it. It was hard to believe—Will never thought that such a man was capable of these feelings. But he understood it now as he stared down at the unconscious man who had saved him yet again, in every way imaginable.





	

Will’s eyes slowly fluttered open, his vision blurred by the salt water. He was sinking slowly, blinking quickly as if his vision would clear. In front of him was the Wendigo, his legs crossed as if he were sitting on a non-existent surface and smiling smugly at Will. The Wendigo shut his eyes, and the dark skin began cracking and slowly peeling off. The bits of color disintegrated in the water to reveal Hannibal as Will knows him best.

 

To Will, Hannibal wasn’t some creature to him anymore. He was more human than Will would like to admit, and he stopped feeling contempt toward his friend a long time ago. Standing shakily on top of the cliff, Will could hear Hannibal’s heartbeat with his head pressed against the other’s chest. He remembered Hannibal saying that a low heart rate indicates one’s capacity for violence. He assumed Hannibal’s heart always beat to a steady, slow rhythm when he would kill.

 

Which is why he was so surprised to feel Hannibal’s heart thumping rapidly in his chest as they stood there together, basking in the afterglow. He’d be lying if he said his own heart wasn’t racing, standing there in Hannibal’s arms after putting Dolarhyde down. It was something Hannibal had always wanted for Will— for both of them. And he truly believed it was beautiful. 

 

He took a moment to reflect as they stood there, terrified of the monster that had grown inside him—terrified of just how good it felt. It was hard to accept that this darkness had always been there, and that all it took was Hannibal’s persuasive words to bring it out. Hannibal’s heart was beating faster than Will ever thought possible, and it was all because Will finally participated in the alluring bloodbath of murder, with Hannibal alongside him. 

 

He threw them both off the cliff out of curiosity. He was curious whether his fate would be to die alongside Hannibal, or live with him for the rest of his life. If they both lived, Will would stop trying to fight it. He would give in, and allow Hannibal to guide him in the most exciting chapter of his life yet.

 

As the Wendigo faded away completely, Hannibal’s form looked lifeless compared to the stiff posture of his hallucination. His eyes were closed, his limbs relaxed as he continued to sink. Will took the last of his strength to swim towards Hannibal, grabbing him by the waist and using every last drop of energy to swim them to the surface. There was water in his lungs, and he gasped harshly and coughed for minutes with an unconscious Hannibal in his arms.

 

Before they hit the water, Hannibal had positioned himself underneath Will so that he’d take the most damage. Even when Will had betrayed his friend once again for the umpteenth time, Hannibal felt the need to keep him alive. He loved Will, and Will was still having a hard time accepting it. It was hard to believe—Will never thought that such a man was capable of these feelings. But he understood it now as he stared down at the unconscious killer, placing a hand on the side of his face.

 

“Hannibal,” He said, quietly at first. “Hannibal!” He repeated, much louder this time as he placed his fingers on his neck. There was a slow heartbeat, but no response to his calls, and he shifted to hold Hannibal against his chest with one arm as he began swimming to the shore with the other.

 

Pulling them both onto the shore, Will collapsed next to Hannibal with a shaky exhale. He was breathing hard, trying to catch his breath before he rolled over on his side. He checked Hannibal’s pulse again to make sure he didn’t hallucinate a heartbeat. Thankfully, he didn’t, and his eyes involuntarily shut themselves as he slipped into unconsciousness with his hand still resting on Hannibal’s neck. 

***

“Stay with me.”

 

“Where else would I go?” Will muttered, echoing the conversation they had years ago. His eyes opened slowly to see Hannibal kneeling to the right of him, cleaning the knife wound on his shoulder. Looking around, he noticed they were in a small bedroom, but it felt like they were swaying. He assumed they were on a boat. 

 

Hannibal paused his movements to look at Will, his eyebrows raised slightly before relaxing. The fondness in his face was unfamiliar to Will, and it was strange yet comforting. “I forgive you, Will,” Hannibal said after a moment, “I understand why you did what you did. You’re having trouble accepting who you are.”

 

“I’m having trouble accepting who _you_ are. And what that means for me.” Will replied, staring at a peeling paint chip on the wall to the left of him. It was a half-truth.

 

“I think you accepted who I am a long time ago. It’s difficult for you to recognize and accept the darkness that has always been a part of you. I’m here to help you accept it.” Will hated how Hannibal spoke about the subject so casually, as if they were discussing something as mundane as afternoon tea.

 

Will turned his head to look at Hannibal who was watching him carefully. Will searched the other man’s face, his brows furrowed together and his jaw clenched. “You’ve never had someone affect you as much as I have,” He paused, tilting his head slightly. “Have you?”

 

Hannibal blinked but his expression remained blank, much to Will’s dismay. Although, if Will blinked he would have missed the slight clench in his jaw. “No.” He answered finally, looking down. “When I initially fled to Europe, it was my attempt at separating myself from you.” He continued cleaning Will’s wound as he spoke. “I quickly realized how much of an influence you’ve had on me, so I tried to draw you to me.”

 

Will absentmindedly touched the scar on his stomach. Any normal person wouldn’t have gone looking for the person who had left them with a “smile”, with the intention of presenting forgiveness. Hannibal had as much of an influence on him as he had on Hannibal. They’re conjoined. And there wasn’t anything Will was willing to do to separate himself from Hannibal. 

 

“I’m done fighting.” Will said, breaking the deafening silence. “No more betrayal, no more secrets.” Then, Will initiated their first mutual touch since their moment on the cliff. He reached for Hannibal’s free hand, the one resting on Will’s shoulder. Instead of interlocking their fingers, Will held his hand as if it were a delicate artifact, slowly running his thumb across the scratched up knuckles. “What I said back there on the cliff, I meant it. What we shared _was_ beautiful.” Will looked up from their hands to look into Hannibal’s eyes. “I want you to show me what else we could be.”

 

It was then that Hannibal’s expression changed. A small, enamored smile played on his lips and an almost silent sigh expelled through his nose. He squeezed Will’s hand with his own, his eyes practically glistening with content. “I would be honored.” Hannibal’s voice was low, and Will could practically compare it to a purr of some sorts.

 

He came to the realization that the look on Hannibal’s face was nothing but pure adoration and love, something Will never thought he’d see on him. Will smiled back, feeling a certain warmth gathering in his chest that he could also only describe as love.

**Author's Note:**

> This cheesy ass cliche writing is my first Hannibal fic. Not sure if I'll continue this story, but let me know if you'd wanna see more. Feedback is greatly appreciated :')


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